The Underworld Crown (Series)

Chapter 23

The next morning, I woke up refreshed, grateful to be blessed with no dreams for the first time in a while. I let my eyes slowly adjust to the darkness, deeply missing the light from Earth's early morning sun and the predictability of phone flashlights.

Although I was starving, I was excited for the day of travel ahead. I could hear some movement outside the tent and unzipped the tent door to see what was happening. Alek stood shirtless with his back to me and was lifting Calista's saddle onto her. I grabbed at the tent frame to stop me from tumbling out of it. His jeans hung low on his hips, showcasing taut muscles that contracted under the saddle's weight.

After doing up the buckles under Calista's stomach, he patted down her neck, each glide of his hand moving along her softly. She seemed to enjoy it too; when he stopped, she snorted and nudged his hand. The wisps of shadow emanating from where her tail should have been stilled in her frustration.

What a strange, creepy horse.

"Are we going to get a move on, or are you going to keep staring at me?" Alek asked abruptly, turning his head ever so slightly in my direction. "Because if you're going to do the latter, I'd much rather be seated – you could take a while."

I blushed and looked away. "I wasn't staring at you," I blurted. "I was staring at the horse's ass. Although I guess there's not much of a difference, anyway."

I ducked back into the tent, a satisfied smirk on my face, and started packing away the sleeping bag. My clothes stuck to me with the overnight heat and I wished more than anything I had some deodorant or, even better, enough water for a shower.

I flung all of my belongings out the tent, and then got to work on dismantling it. Thankfully, it was a lot easier to take apart than put together, and I was done within a few minutes. Alek grabbed the tent's bag and hung it off of Calista's saddle.

When I moved to stand next to him, he shoved a compact black bag into my arms.

"What's this?" I asked in curiosity.

"Your first lesson of the day. This bag is our lifeline," he said. "It has all of our basic necessities for survival – food, water, small weapons. Listen to me closely when I say that that bag is the most important thing you need to focus on keeping safe. If you lose that bag when we're away from a city, we'll die."

The black bag in my grasp turned into a one hundred kilo weight, and my stomach became squeamish.

"Are you sure I should be in charge of this?" I asked.

"Normally I'd wear it when I ride, but since there are two of us..."

The image of trying to ride Calista while Alek's bag whacked into my face popped into my mind.

"Got it," I said quickly. "I'll wear the bag." I slid my arms through the straps, tightening them enough so the bag wouldn't slip off.

Alek nodded in approval and then eased himself onto the saddle.

"We need to get a move on," he said, holding a hand towards me. "Now that it's light, the guards will be making a move to try to find you."

I looked over my shoulder anxiously, but all I could see was the endless expanse of cracked ground. No guards in sight. Yet. I grabbed his hand and, with the aid of his strength and the stirrup, I pushed myself up and onto the saddle.

Alek clicked his tongue and Calista started off in a trot.

"How far exactly does it take to travel across the wastelands?" I asked nervously, peering at Alek over his shoulder.